Send a text

What if one smart hire could flip your business from constant scramble to controlled scale? That’s the spark behind our conversation with Zhao Liu, the operator-turned-founder of ZL Workforce, who transformed an eight-year solo grind into a data-driven, delegation-first machine after hiring a single virtual assistant.

We walk through the pivotal moves: quitting corporate while running a growing product company, joining Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, and confronting the limit of doing everything alone. Zhao shares how he trained his first VA live over Zoom, then had her write the SOPs as she learned, turning messy reality into usable playbooks. From there, he explains the systems that make offshoring work for small business: rigorous vetting, background checks, role-matched evaluations, and productivity tracking that respects privacy while revealing patterns across video editors, recruiters, and client-facing roles.

Culture matters just as much as process. Zhao outlines weekly optional huddles that keep distributed assistants connected, rotating prompts that build relationships, and a biannual Manila retreat that makes remote teams feel real. We also get tactical about what to delegate first—calendar, email, research, light design—and how to prevent underperformance by setting clear channels, goals, and definitions of success on day one. If letting go is hard, Zhao offers a roadmap: grant access in stages, measure outcomes, and expand trust as competence compounds.

For the metrics-minded, Zhao contrasts key KPIs for B2C and B2B. Profit margin beats vanity revenue in product businesses, while capacity and productivity rule in services. His “power of one” play—raise price 1 percent, grow volume 1 percent, trim overhead 1 percent—shows how small moves compound into meaningful cash flow. Whether you’re considering your first VA or retooling a growing team, this candid guide blends real-world delegation, remote culture, and performance data you can use today.

If this conversation helps you think differently about scaling with virtual assistants, subscribe, share with a founder friend, and leave a quick review to tell us what you’ll delegate first.

🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world:

🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses.

📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business.

🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most.

💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

Send us a text

The myth says a creative life runs on inspiration; the truth is that it runs on timing, resilience, and a reliable system. We sit down with guitarist and former VP of Sales Marc Lee Shannon to map the dirt roads that led from LA session work to corporate leadership and back to a purpose-driven creative practice. Along the way, Mark explains how he learned to read industry headwinds, pivot before ego dragged him under, and rebuild from a humbling retail job into a role leading hundreds across the Western Hemisphere.

What makes Mark’s story hit harder is what lived in the shadows: a high-functioning drinking habit that traveled with him from trade shows to stages. Sobriety didn’t just clear the fog; it reset his definition of success and brought a sharp focus to the habits that protect creative energy. Mark shares his Five W’s system—Wellness, Warm-heartedness, Working, Wonder, and World—and why none of it matters unless it’s scheduled into your week. He adds a simple daily code built on equanimity, kindness, non-judgment, and generosity that keeps emotions from steering decisions and keeps relationships at the center.

We also dig into team dynamics and the power of the right tribe. Mark shows how to spot collaborators who raise the room’s energy, why it’s okay to pull over and let the wrong people out of the boat, and how the three most valuable words in business might be “I was wrong.” Finally, as a certified peer recovery supporter, he talks about replacing shame with treatment, modeling recovery without preaching, and redefining “enough” as a competitive edge for leaders and artists alike. If you’re building a creative career, leading a team, or just trying to get 1% better each day, this conversation offers clear tools, honest stories, and a path you can start using today.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a pivot, and leave a quick review—what’s one W you’ll schedule this week?

🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world:

🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses.

📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business.

🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most.

💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.

Send us a text

What if your best marketing isn’t marketing at all, but the way you show up when it costs you? That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Alicia Jarboe, the Worcester-based realtor and nonprofit leader who proves that relationships, not transactions, build businesses that last.

We dive into the practices that turn clients into community: thoughtful follow-up, handwritten cards, and client appreciation nights that feel like family gatherings. Alicia shares how transparency, like telling a seller to wait out short-term capital gains or walking away from a misaligned deal, creates trust that compounds into multi-year referrals. When rates spike and deals stall, she leans on diversification, stress-tested systems, and a simple priority framework that keeps her son and family time as non-negotiable “rocks,” while still delivering for clients.

Alicia also opens up about the hard season that sparked the Jarboe Foundation: insurance shocks, a foreclosure, and the choice to build the kind of help they once needed. Now a 501c3, the foundation’s Thanksgiving project fed 173 families and partners with schools and pantries to meet real needs—coats, boots, blankets—over “nice-to-have” gifts. Looking ahead, Alicia outlines a compelling vision for a community garden and pantry integrated with their real estate work, creating year-round dignity and hands-on impact for local kids and families.

Expect practical wisdom you can use today: how to say no with empathy, how to design follow-up that feels like friendship, and how to ride the market roller coaster without losing your values. If you’re ready to trade quick wins for enduring trust, and turn your business into a force for good, this conversation will give you both a blueprint and a push.

If this resonated, subscribe, share with a friend who needs the long game, and leave a review to help more people find the show.

🎙️ Connect with Chrissy Myers and discover how resilience, expertise, and community can transform your world:

🔗 Follow Chrissy on LinkedIn for behind-the-scenes insights, leadership tips, and updates on her journey as the CEO of two thriving businesses.

📘 Grab your copy of 'Reluctantly Resilient' to learn how Chrissy turned challenges into opportunities and how you can do the same in your life and business.

🤝 Explore Clarity HR and discover how Chrissy’s team simplifies HR for small businesses, giving you peace of mind to focus on what matters most.

💼 Visit AUI to see how Chrissy's employee benefits expertise can help you build a healthier, happier workforce.